Out of the Abyss - 16mm experimental film (still) - 2023
Apparent aimless walking
Looking for the next place to crash
The city swirls as the mind lingers
The invisible people are vestiges of the living
Looking for the next place to crash
The city swirls as the mind lingers
The invisible people are vestiges of the living
Consuming the city noises
As the next stop feels like home
The heart beats with the feet
The city grows, change comes
Same places but different takes
As the next stop feels like home
The heart beats with the feet
The city grows, change comes
Same places but different takes
by Dani Tagen
OUT OF THE ABYSS is an experimental 16mm BW moving image film based on the book People of the Abyss by Jack London, published in 1902.
The book is a first person account of Jack London’s experience living 3months in the slams of east London in the period between the death of Queen Victoria - the longest monarch on the throne at the time - and the coronation of kind Edward VII. The United Kingdom was the wealthiest country in the world but home to abject poverty.
OUT OF THE ABYSS revisits the places Jack London walked, lived and mentioned in the book, emphasising the historical character of east London itself. A hub for immigrants and still a place of poverty and difficult living conditions.
The experimentation aspects of the film include triple exposure, editing all in camera, time-lapse (or what I’d like calling Tagen-lapse), slow motion and out of focus images. The sound recording was also very experimental and aligned to my longterm practice of using low-tech to achieve great results.
OUT OF THE ABYSS was developed thanks to the support of Four Corners & the Foyle Foundation and the mentorship of William Raban.
